Electric-fixture support



April 17, 1928. 1,666,223

, w. SYMMES ELECTRIC FIXTURE SUPPORT Filed 00t- 25, 1922 III ll 1 I tn um W/TNt-SS.' W5 4 -LJ ATTORNEYS.

enema Api.' 11,- 1928.

. Sms, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRIC-FIXTURE SUPPORT.

l Application flied `October 23,

The invention relates to electriclighting fixture supports and particularly to supports l for chandeliers or ceiling fixtures, whereby the fixture may be readil -hung or removed. 5,. For some time it has een considered desirable to provide detachable electric lighting fixtures,l so thatl fixtures of one may be readily replaced by fixtures of another desi and so that a tenant may acquire l his own xtures and take them with him, when he vacates his tenancy. These( fixture supports should be of suchiconstruction that they accommodate themselves to the stand- .aifd'appliances employed for wiring houses l vand providin outlets and'so that the fixtures j ma be attac ed and detached by the houselwi e, without the aid of any tools. They must further be fool proof` and accident proof'and must conform to the standards and regulations adopted by controlling 0rnizations, such as the National Board of gire Underwriters. vAs fai: as I am aware, no support for ceiling fixtures, has as yet been provided which satisfies all of these conditions.' It is an object of the present invention therefore, to provide a detachable ceiling fixture construction, which meets all of these I r uirements. .y

other object of the invention is to provide a detachable ceiling fixture construction, whichis simple and sturdy in construction andl in which the weight of the fixture is in no de e supported by. the electrical l5 contacts which close'the circuit between the house wires and the fixture wires.

A furtherdobject of the invention 1s to providev a, supporting structure which holds the top canopy of the fixture close to the ceiling, 40 so that the fixture has a finished appearance when hung.

Another object of the invention is to provide a detachable ceiling fixture, the component parts of which require. no ad]ustment subsequent to hanging or prior to removing the fixture. y i The invention possesses other ladvanta features, some of which, with the forewill be set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in full, that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration inthe drawings accompan g and forming art of the` resent speci cation. In said rawings ave f shown one form of n iy invention, but it is tol geous /gomg 19221 Serial No. 596,822.

some of the parts iii extended relation.

Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of the receptacle plate.

Fig. tis a perspective view of a socket comprising one of the elementsof the strucfure. s Fig. 5 is an underneath view of an outlet box forming part of the structure of my invention.

' Fig. 6 is an underneath view of an outlet boxprovided with a plaster ring. Fig. 7 is a vertical section through a receptacle plate and appliedl fixture. Y

Fig.'8 is a perspective view of a modified formof hanger.

In laccordance with my invention, I produce a. removable pendant lighting' fixture which may be attached to the ciiiling receptacle, by mere insertion, without the aid of any tools, andwhich', when in place, is securely held in position, so that it mayk not become accidently dislodged by ra person manipulating thev fixture. AThe attaching structure is constructed so that the fixture is supported independently of the electrical connections', so that the electrical receptacle and plug are not subjected to any su porting strains. The component parts of 51e attaching structure are arranged and disposed in such manner that the .structure is applicable to the standard outlet boxes now unif versally employed, so that it may be installed in old houses with a. minimum of effort and so that it may be installed in new work without requiring the use of special outlet boxes. This feature is of the greatest importance, since the expense involved in discardin old standards and establishing Lnew standar or special fittings is a great economic waste 106 which is not tolerablef The device of my invention comprises two major parts, one lof which, constituting thej receptacle plate, is arranged in or secured to the ceiling of the room, so that it remains 11'0 f material eut from the plate Ato permanently in place. The other major part, constituting the plug, is arrangedon or secured to the upper end of the lighting fixture. The receptacle plate constitutes a support Jforthe fixture and the electrical receptacle to which the service wires are connected. The plug or attaching fixture constitutes a support engaging element for carrying the fixture and an electrical plug for engagin@r the electrical contacts in the receptacle.

IJresent electrical wiring specifications require the use of a metallic outlet box in the ceiling, into which the service wires extend. The electrician in wiring the house, carries his wires into the outlet box and it is the function of the fixture hanger, to connect these wires to the fixture and hang the fixture. Outlet boxes are made in two' standard styles, with and without plaster rings, the boxes provided with plaster rings having a smaller aperture than those which are not provided with rings. In F ig. 5 I have shown an outlet box 12 which is not provided with a plaster ring and in Ijig. 3, I have shown an outlet box provided with a plaster ring 13. The outlet box, or the opening therein, is covered and concealed by the receptacle pleate 14 which is secured to the outlet box. t' cured to the rear wall of' the outlet box by the screws 15 is a crow-foot 16 having a threaded socket 17 therein to receive the screw 18 which'holds the attaching plate 19 in position. The receptacle plate 14 is attached to the plate'19 by screws which extend through apertures in the receptacle plate and engage in threaded holes 22 in the plate 19. The screw 18 is disposed centrally in the outlet box, and when the outlet box is not provided with a plaster ring, as in Fig. 5, the holes 22 in the 'plate 19, are substantially regularly spaced in a circle concentric with the screw 18. When an outlet box having a plaster ring 13 is used, the opening into the box is restricted and since there are certain elements on the back of the receptacle plate which must fit into the box and since it is desirable to have one standard receptacle plate, the receptacle plate must be offset or arranged eccentrical- 1y .with respect to the outlet box. In such an assembly, a modified form of attaching plate 19 isemployed, in which theapertures 22 are offset toward one side of the screw 18.

The receptacle plate 14 is preferabl circular in shape and is provided with a xture support receiving aperture, a portion of which occurs at the center of the plate. The aperture is preferably radially disposed, and at its inner end comprises an 'elongated straight sided slot 23 which o ens at its outer end into an enlarged, pre erably circular, aperture 24, through which the head of the supporting element is entered. The form the slot 23, is bent back at the sides of the slot to vwall 32 is pressed after the receptacle is lie at right angles to the plate, forming wings'25, which are engaged by the head of the supporting element. On their upper edges the wings are provided with two concave seats 26 and 27, the latter being higher than the foi-nier. for reasons that will hereinafter be set forth.' The space behind the slot is enclosed by a housing 28 attached to the rear face ot' the plate so that no uncovered apertures are presented.

Mounted on the rear face ot' the plate adjacent the slot, and accessible from the front face. of the plate, is an electrical receptacle 31. The receptacle plate is provided with a recess formed by the circular wall 32, and the receptacle is disposed in the recess, with the front face of the receptacle forming the bottoni of the recess. '1`he wall 32 is provided on its inner end with inturncd flanges 33 against which shoulders 34 on the receptacle seat to prevent backward movement of the receptacle. The receptacle is provided on its peripheral surface with a plurality of small seats 35, into which the metal of the seated against the flanges, thus holding the receptacle firmly in place. The body of the receptacle is narrowed above the shoulder, so that it will lit into the limited space within the outlet box. The receptacle body is provided with resilient contact clips lying behind the apertures 36 opening on the face of the receptacle. Seated in the body of the receptacle is a screw stem 37, over which engages an insulating cap 38 covering the con-y tacts and the binding screws, the cap being held in place by a nut 39 on the stem.

The electric fixture, which is usually provided at its upper end with a'canopy 41, is provided with a plug for detachable engagement with the receptacle and with a fixture supporting element for detachable engagement with the receptacle plate. Secured to the hollow stem or tube 42, upon which the canopy is mounted, is a stem 43, having an enlarged head 44 from which the fixture depends. The head is preferably hemi-spherical in shape and is provided with a flattened top and is smaller in diameter than the enlarged aperture 24, so that the head ma)1 be inserted through the aperture, by a direct upward movement of the stem, when held in a vertical position. The stem 43 is preferably square in cross section and is of less thickness than the width of the slot 23, so that the stem may be moved along the slot. In hanging the fixture, the head 1s inserted through the aperture 24 and the fixture` moved sideways, to move the stem along the slot 23, to seat the head on cave seat 27, where it is weight of the fixture.

as insurance to fixture, should the higher conheld in place by the The lower seat acts prevent dislodgment of the the head become unseated from the vhigher seat. When the head is l seated on the higher seat, the stem is disosed at the center of the receptacle plate,

etweenthe supporting screws. By making the stem square, rotation of the fixture is prevented. y

The fitting, of which the/head and stem form integral parts is provided with a shoulder 45. from which the stem springs and the shoulder forms a stop to limit the upward movement of the stem as it is inserted in the aperture Q4. The shoulder is at the same lever or slightly above the level of the upper edge of the canopy, so that in hanging the fixture. the edge of the canopy will not contact with and mar the surface of the ceiling. The stem is short, so that when the head is in engagement with the higher seat, the upper edge of the canopy lies close to the ceiling. presenting a properly finishedjob. The fitting, of which the stem formsan integral part, is preferably a hickey 4G, having an aperture therein for the passage of the fixture wires. which are provided on their ends with a plug 47 adapted to seat in the recess in the receptacle plate and having contact blades 48 adapted to Contact with the contact clips in the receptacle. The canopy is preferably held in position with respect to the fitting by a canopy strap 49.

lVhen the structure of the fixture is such that a hickey fitting may not be employed, a fitting such as is shown in Fig. 8 may be employed, in which the stem is provided with ears 51 for attachment to a cross bar or standard canopy strap.

In hanging the fixture, the plug is first inserted, the head is then inserted through the aperture and the fixture moved sideways to bring the stem to the end of the slot and the head to a seat on the high seat. The canopy covers the receptacle plate and the plug, so that the hung fixture has a perfect finished appearance.

I claim:

The combination with an outlet box having a plaster ring. of a bracket secured to the rear face of said box and disposed centrally within said box, an attaching plate secured to said bracket and provided with a lurality of screw threaded apertures, sai plate and apertures being disposed eccentrically with respect to said box, a receptacle plate having a plurality Aof holes spaced substan tially evenly from the lcenter thereof and screws extending through the holes in the receptacle plate and engaging in the holes in the attaching plate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WHITMAN SYMMES. 

